I'll Be Fine Without You
by sakuraheartz
Summary: Mikan Sakura just broke up with her 3 months boyfriend only to realize the things that she had missed: her studies, her friends and mostly, her life.


**I'll Be Fine Without You**

**Disclaimer: **We've done this a thousand times already. Sigh, I wish I owned Gakuen Alice and its characters. Well, I could at least dream about it, right?

**Inspired** from two songs: Hinder – Without You and Reliant K – My Girl's Ex-Boyfriend

**Summary: **Mikan Sakura just broke up with her 3 months boyfriend only to realize the things that she had missed: her studies, her friends and mostly, her life.

**In this story:**

The guys – 18 years old

The girls – 17 years old

**Dedicate to; **

**Vione**

**Your generosity has made me speechless,**

**Thank you ever so.**

* * *

'B–break up?' Tears stung the back of Mikan's eyes and she blinked them back. 'B–but why?'

Reo rolled his eyes and sighed desperately. 'We just don't "click" anymore,' he spat those words as if he was bored to death.

The two were currently in the deserted hallway of the school corridor. It had been three months since the two decided to become an item. They were the famous couple in the school. All kinds of rumors were spread throughout the campus when the two started going out in public. Mostly it was because of Reo's image as a playboy and with his bad boy attitude; people never thought that he would settle with the campus sweetheart, Mikan Sakura.

'Is it something that I did?' the brunette tugged the sleeve of his T-shirt. 'Or are you in love with someone else?'

Reo pulled his arm away so that she loosened the grip on his sleeve. 'You don't interest me anymore,' he said tiredly. 'You don't even let me touch you…or kiss you.' And then he walked away from her, leaving her speechless and heartbroken.

A drop of tear glistened on her face and she wiped it off. The bell rang indicating that the next class was going to be hold next. Students were seen flocking the now crowded hallway, trying to get to their next class.

Mikan toddled her way to her next class with her head hanging low. She went into her class and sat in her respective seat.

Jinno-sensei lifted his face from the attendance book on his hand and looked at the whole class. His eyes landed on one particular student and then he sighed in defeat.

'Nice of you to join us today, Sakura,' he said darkly at her and almost grudgingly, he marked her as present on the attendance book.

Mikan ignored the loud whispers coming from her classmates.

'What is she doing here?' 'Do you think that she and Reo break up already?' and 'She rarely comes to class nowadays' were heard throughout the classroom.

'She didn't pay much attention to the curious stares from her classmates and just stared at her table. The last statement hit her. Ever since she dated Reo, she always skipped classes with him and they would spend their time just sitting with each other and doing nothing.

Her thoughts were cut off when Jinno-sensei placed a piece of paper on her table.

'With this grade, you won't be able to graduate, Sakura,' he said and then proceeded to his table and started teaching.

Mikan looked at her the paper. It was her marks for last week's test and she frowned at the grade that she got. 'D-' she swore mentally.

It was her first time getting a 'D' grade and her stomach churned. She was a straight 'A' student and was looked up by many teachers and students; including Jinno-sensei, who**,** according to his students**,** was the living devil.

She didn't pay much attention to the lesson and just stared blankly at the blackboard. As soon as she heard the bell ringing, she went out of the room before anyone else did. She walked aimlessly with her head laying low. It was after school and there were less people in the hallway.

'I need someone to talk to,' she whispered to herself.

The first person on her mind was her best friend, Imai Hotaru. She was a freaky inventor and a blackmailer but she was also a genius. She might be cold towards everyone but they respected her in many ways.

Mikan opened the door that had "Technical Club" sign on it and went inside. The only person she saw was her best friend**,** clad in her lilac mechanic outfit and a screwdriver on one hand; her eyes focused intently on the invention that was on the workbench. She didn't even look up when Mikan purposely shut the door a bit louder than usual.

'If you're done with whatever you want in this room,' she paused as she angled her head sideward, and fastened the screw on the invention, which looked like a lower part of a penguin. 'Shut the door quietly.'

Mikan stood stiffly about a meter behind her. She observed her best friend and fresh tears came out of her eyes.

Mikan realized that she hasn't talked much with Hotaru from the time when she was dating Reo. She noticed that Hotaru's boyish raven short hair was longer now that it reached to her shoulder.

'Hotaru,' she croaked, calling for her attention.

Hotaru stiffened when the person behind her called out her name. Whatever crucial movement she was about to make before stopped when she heard the voice that she knew too well. Her eyes widened but softened back in a few seconds and resumed her work, but the truth was that she was waiting for the brunette to speak to her again.

'Hotaru,' Mikan said softly. 'Can we talk?'

Sighing in defeat, Hotaru dropped the screwdriver to the table. She turned around and her amethyst eyes met her teary brown eyes. 'So you're finally talking to me?' she asked coldly.

Mikan shivered at the tone that she used to her and all she could do was to stare at the floor; too embarrassed to look at her.

Hotaru sighed again and then she sat on the chair near her and folded her legs. 'Five minutes,' she said firmly.

The two stayed in silence, both of them waiting for the other to start the conversation.

'Well?' Hotaru said impatiently.

Mikan was still staring at the floor. 'Reo broke up with me.'

Hotaru kept her emotionless even though inside she wanted to comfort her best friend, telling Mikan that everything was going to be ok. Another part of her was still angry with the brunette because Hotaru knew that the now 'ex-boyfriend' of Mikans was a troublemaker since the day the brunette introduced Reo to her and the fact that he took Mikan away from her.

'Is that all?' Hotaru said impassively.

Mikan bit her lower lip and pressed her hands together, trying not to brawl like a child.

'A–And I'm sorry.' She bowed. 'For being a terrible friend.'

Mikan lifted her face and looked at Hotaru. She shuddered when Hotaru was giving her the blank stare and she could feel her tears rising.

'W–Well**.**' Mikan looked back at the floor. 'I guess my 5 minutes is up.'

Mikan was about to open the door but stopped when she heard Hotaru called her name.

Mikan turned around and looked at her in confusion.

'Come here, baka,' Hotaru let out a small smile and extended her hands to her.

Mikan burst crying and ran to her. She hugged Hotaru and cried on her shoulder. Hotaru patted her back as Mikan muttered 'sorry' over and over again.

When the brunette finally calmed down and after countless shots from the inventor's 'Baka Gun', the two best friends sat on the white sofa at the edge of the room.

'I was so stupid for falling for him**.**' Mikan pulled her knees closer. 'I thought that he was the one for me,' she added.

Hotaru stared at the ceiling blankly and she let out another sigh. 'Yeah, you are stupid.'

Mikan frowned and was about to retort when the door to the room burst open.

'Hotaru! What is the meaning of this?' A blond boy with cerulean eyes was fuming at the inventor,holding up an embarrassing picture of him snuggling to a teddy bear in his arms.

'Blackmail,' the blackmailer replied coolly. 'And don't shout Ruka; you're deafening me'

Mikan was curious with the scene in front of her. _Since when __did those_ _two __call_ _each other by their first name?_ She thought to herself.

'What did I do?' he asked furiously. 'I'm your boyfriend, remember?'

'Boyfriend?' Mikan was stunned. 'Since when?' She looked at her best friend.

'Since you were busy playing family games with that "boyfriend" of yours,' she replied back.

Mikan's mouth was opened in an 'O' shape'.

Ruka finally noticed Mikan's presence and greeted her. 'It has been a while, Sakura-san.'

Mikan nodded back and smiled weakly. 'It is, Ruka-pyon.'

Before anyone made any move, Mikan stood up from the couch.

'I'd better go,' she said. 'I'll let you two talk.'

The other two watched her walking towards the door and held the doorknob before twisting it open.

Mikan looked back at Hotaru and for the first time in three months, she gave her smile to her best friend. 'Thank you, Hotaru.'

'You owe me 650 rabbits for spreading your baka germs all over my outfit and for the extra 5 minutes,' Hotaru said as she relaxed on the couch.

'Hotaru**.**' Mikan pouted and then she closed the door behind her and grumbled under her breath.

'At least, I got my best friend back.' She sighed.

She was not ready to go home and decided to roam around the school for a while.

* * *

'What was that about?' Ruka asked his girlfriend.

'She broke up with her boyfriend,' Hotaru simply replied.

Ruka's eyes widened. 'Wow,' was the only thing that came out of his mouth.

'Aren't you supposed to be mad at me?' She smirked.

Ruka snapped out of his amazement from the unexpected news. 'And I still am.'

He began shouting incoherent words at her and his hands were flailing in the air.

Hotaru sighed; she got up from the couch and stepped closer to her boyfriend.

Ruka didn't realize the close proximity between them and continued spurting more incoherent words.

Hotaru smirked and leaned closer to his face and then she gave him a peck on the lips.

To say he was shocked was an understatement to describe his response upon the simple action. His whole body was red, from the tip of his fingers to his face and ears. He stood still on the ground and his mouth was gaping.

Hotaru took his picture and chuckled. She went to her workbench and started to work on her invention she was working on before the brunette went into the room.

'That should keep him quiet for a few hours.' She chuckled and glanced at her boyfriend.

* * *

Mikan walked into the library because she knew that there wouldn't be any people around after school. The door squeaked as she entered the air-conditioned room. As expected, no one was in sight.

She sighed and was contended with the silence around her.

She walked to the bookshelves and traced her fingers on the books as she walked aimlessly; her head was full with thoughts from today's events.

She didn't realize that someone was in front of her until it was too late when she bumped into the person. She expected that she would meet the hard cold floor instead she felt a pair of strong arms circled around her waist protectively while her hands were gripping the front of the person's uniform. The faint smell of perfume that smelled like cinnamon fused with mint filled her head. She was dazed for a moment before she lifted her face upward to look at her savior.

She stared at the man in front of him. His crimson eyes stared boringly into her shocked brown eyes. She had never seen anyone with that eye colour before. However, it was a pity that he hid those mesmerizing eyes behind the thick black-framed glasses.

She stepped backwards as soon as he let her go. She noticed that he was a head taller than her that she had to look up to face him. She tried to remember his name. As far as she knew, he transferred to Alice Academy four months ago and he was frequently in the library. His name was Natsume Hyuuga, the school geek. He was known for his anti-social behaviour and only talked to the teachers and his best friend, Ruka.

'Um, arigatou,' she said, blushing.

He didn't reply back and simply stared back at her.

'Um, I gotta go**.**' She tried hard not to squirm under his penetrating gaze. 'Thanks again, Hyuuga-san.' She smiled at him and walked quickly to the door.

'It's Natsume to you,' he finally said, causing her to stop on her tracks.

She looked back and then she smiled. 'Arigatou, Natsume-kun.'

'You're welcome, polka-dots.' He smirked.

It took about five second for her to figure out what he was talking about. She blushed and then scowled at him. That was when she noticed that the hem of her uniform was hitched a bit and showed the underwear that she was wearing.

'PERVERT!' she shouted and then stormed outside.

Natsume chuckled at the direction where the brunette was going, and then he continued browsing for the books in the shelves. While at the same time, he kept thinking of the face of the angry brunette.

* * *

Over the next few weeks, after numerous apologies and twenty boxes of tissues, Mikan gained her friends back. She was currently walking with Anna, Nonoko and Yuu to the cafeteria where her other friends were waiting.

Also, during those times, she learned to stay strong and ignored all the nasty rumors that were spread throughout the academy. With her friends by her side, it was easier for her to endure all the vicious remarks that were thrown to her.

When they reached their table, Hotaru and Ruka were already there, along with Koko and Sumire who had just started going out last week.

Mikan looked around as they sat on the empty chair. 'Where's Natsume?' she asked curiously.

Everyone was grinning at her question. They had noticed that the two were getting closer each day. Mikan always went to the library after school and studied all the materials that she had missed before. Natsume would sometimes help her with her studies and tease her most of the time just to annoy her.

Mikan lifted her left eyebrow. 'What?' she asked, annoyed.

Before anyone could answer, Natsume leaned closer to her ear from behind causing her to blush.

'Miss me, polka?' he asked teasingly and then he took the seat beside her.

The hair on her nape stood and she shivered. She held her ear, looked at him, and frowned. He enjoyed making her uncomfortable and he was getting on her nerves.

Mikan was about to yell back when she heard a loud laugh from a certain cheerleader on the table across the cafeteria. Clearly, the cheerleader was enjoying the attention around her. Her name was Luna Koizumi and she was also Reo's new girlfriend.

Mikan grimaced at the sight. Luna was flirting shamelessly with Reo as he put his arms around her. The next day after their breakup, Reo had found his replacement. These only intensified the rumors as Luna and her cronies made up stories that the reason for their breakup was because Mikan cheated on Reo.

'Urgh, I hate that girl,' Anna said with extreme dislike coloring her voice.

'I bet that her boobs are fakes.' Nonoko sneered at her.

'I agree to that.' Koko nodded and looked at Sumire. 'Sumire's boobs are curvier than hers.'

Sumire blushed and thwacked his head with her hand. 'You're becoming more perverted each day!'

Hotaru was typing something on her palm-sized computer. 'I've got her medical records,' she paused. 'Yep, they're fakes.'

The group roared with laughter and Mikan smiled wider. She was glad that her friends knew how to cheer her up in times of need.

* * *

Natsume pulled his glasses away and rubbed his tired eyes. Then his gaze landed to the brunette beside him.

'Do you still like that guy?' he asked Mikan who was skimming over her finished assignment. It was after school and the library was empty as usual except for the two.

'Who?' she asked, not lifting her eyes off her work.

'Reo,' he replied plainly.

She looked at him instantly; surprised by his question. Her heart skipped a beat when she looked back at his piercing eyes.

'No,' she replied, feeling the heat rose to her cheeks.

She diverted her attention to his glasses and noticed something. 'They don't have any degrees on them,' she stated out loud.

Natsume raised the glasses so that it was level with his eyes. 'It doesn't,' he confirmed.

Mikan turned her head to face him. 'Why would you wear it when you don't need it?' she asked him curiously.

'You don't know what it's like in my previous school.' He sighed.

Mikan looked at him, expecting some more information out of him.

'I was chased by my fan girls everyday.' He shuddered as he remembered the times before he transffered to Alice Academy. 'I don't want to repeat the history all over again.'

'That's why I transferred here,' he added. 'I wanted to start over.'

'You have fan girls? You?' she asked in disbelieve.

'Hey, I am the most sought person in my previous school.' Natsume smirked at her. 'Why? Find it hard to believe? Polka dots.'

'Conceited bastard.' Mikan puffed and they both knew that she just lost their silent battle. She picked up her paper and tried to get rid of his face from her mind. Who knew that behind those ugly glasses, he was actually – though it is hard for her to accept – handsome.

He put one of his hands under his chin and tilted his head to face her. He smirked as he watched her feeling awkward under his gaze. He lifted his free hand and reached under her chin so that she faced him.

'I've watched you since the day I transferred here,' he confessed and leaned his face closer to her.

Mikan's face was impossibly red. 'You're a pervert AND a stalker.'

He chuckled, his hand caressing the side of her face. Then he leaned forward so that their foreheads were touching and they closed their eyes; enjoying the quiet yet comfortable atmosphere.

'Are you really over him?' he asked her; slight desperation was evident in his voice.

'Hundred percent sure,' she replied back, without hesitation.

'Does it mean that I have a chance?' He pulled back and waited patiently for her answer.

Mikan smiled at him. 'Only if you stop calling me by my underwear pattern.'

Natsume rolled his eyes. 'Whatever, little girl.'

Mikan pouted at the new nickname that he's giving her.

He grinned and the pecked her forehead, causing her to flush more.

* * *

Mikan was humming in the deserted hallway. It was after school and she was on her way to meet her boyfriend. She giggled to herself when she remembered Natsume confessing to her in the library two days ago.

Her train of thoughts was cut short when someone grabbed her arm, preventing her from taking another step.

She turned around and was shocked to see the person.

'We need to talk,' Reo said angrily.

'We don't have anything to talk anymore.' She frowned. 'And please let go of my arms, it hurts.'

Reo loosened his grip on her arms but didn't let her go, much to her displeasure.

'I've got to meet someone, Reo,' she said hurriedly, hinting that she was in a hurry.

'Is it the loser who always hangs out in the library?' he asked darkly.

'Natsume is not a loser!' she yelled angrily. 'He's a better man than you'll ever be!'

Reo pulled her closer to him and looked at her directly in her eyes. 'I've made a mistake letting you go, Mikan.'

She turned her face away from him and then he grabbed her face forcefully. 'Look at me, dammit!'

Mikan cried in pain and closed her eyes.

She heard a 'thud' sound and his grip on her loosened. She opened her eyes and saw Natsume standing beside her and Reo on the ground.

Natsume looked at her worriedly.

Her heart raced and she noticed that he wasn't wearing his usual nerdy glasses. He looked irresistibly handsome to her at the moment and then she cursed herself mentally.

_This is not the time to think about this, Mikan-baka! _she thought to herself.

Natsume caressed her face gently and inspected her delicate face. He saw the red mark, which was caused by Reo's action previously.

He frowned. 'Are you hurt?'

'A bit,' she admitted. 'But I'm ok.'

Natsume slid his arms around her waist protectively, causing her to blush. He turned to Reo, who was having a hard time getting up.

'Stay away from her,' Natsume said darkly.

Reo stood up and laughed as if he had heard the funniest thing on earth. 'And what are you? Her boyfriend?'

It was not evident to everyone that both of them were dating. The only people who knew about their relationship were their friends.

'I am her boyfriend.' Natsume held the brunette closer.

Reo clenched his teeth and rubbed his sore jaw. 'I will not give up on you, Mikan.'

He ran away from the scene, leaving the two in the empty hallway.

Mikan rested her head on his chest and he wrapped his arms around her tightly, but carefully not to crush the brunette.

'He's not the type to give up, you know?' she whispered.

'I'll protect you,' he murmured and nuzzled her neck.

'There's going to be more rumors tomorrow.' She heaved a sigh.

'We'll survive,' he replied back and then they pulled apart.

She held his face tenderly as they gazed into each other's eyes.

'Where are your glasses?'

'I left it in the library when I noticed that you're late,' he replied.

She snaked her arms around his neck. 'You have to wear your glasses every time.'

'Why?' he asked, but he couldn't help smirking, knowing what her answer would be.

'I don't want other girls to see how my boyfriend really looks like.' She frowned at her own statement.

'My, aren't you possessive.' He wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her closer.

Mikan pouted and couldn't help but blush.

Natsume chuckled and couldn't help but feel the warmth surging throughout his body at the thought of the gorgeous girl that he came to love dearly in his arms. _Cute_.

Unable to control his urge, he leaned down and kissed her on the lips.

They stayed in that position for a while before pulling apart.

'That was my first kiss,' she admitted and gave her heartwarming smile at him.

'You two haven't kissed each other?' he asked, slightly shocked.

'Nope,' she replied playfully.

Natsume smirked and leaned down again. 'That was also my first kiss.'

Mikan gave in to his sweet kisses and sighed in satisfaction.

She felt like everything had fallen into the right place; she had improved her grades, got her friends back and got a better and handsomer boyfriend.

She knew that she'd be facing more obstacles in the future, but she knew that she'd be all right. As long as she was surrounded by the people she loved, she would be all right.

**…The End…**

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And the rest is up to your imagination...no sequal.

I had my cousin to come up with the title coz I suck at it. So don't complain guys haha =p

I know that I'm suppose to update my other story 'Rotkappchen: Little Red Riding Hood' but I'm extremely busy at the moment because I just go my exam result...which btw were great!! XD Now I can go to university early than everyone else. The average age for our country to go to Uni is 19 and I'm 17!! Yay~ sorry for bragging but I'm just happy yay~ Thank you to those who invent the escalator system!!

Oh and check out my poll for the future chapter of 'Rotkappchen: Little Red Riding Hood'. It's for Tsubasa X Misaki pairing hehe...

* * *

**Thank you for the reviews!! XD**

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